Milling cutters with inset blades have gradually replaced one piece milling cutters due to their numerous advantages, notably in their lower cost due to the fact that high speed steel can be limited to the blades while the body of the milling cutter can be made of less expensive materials and the metallurgical properties of the high speed steel blades are much higher than those of the one piece milling cutters.
Another advantage of the milling cutters with inset blades, very often not utilized, is the replacement in the body of new blades.
In fact, the attachment of the blades in the body of the milling cutter is generally very complex, is difficult to be carried out and is not always very effective. In particular, blades which are threadably secured in the body at their bases are fragile and tend to rupture, whereas blades which are mounted on the body with hoops are practically non-removable due to the mounting force. The threadable mounting of the blades in the body at a plurality of locations requires a long and fastidious mounting operation and the use of a special tool which leads to deformations of the blades along their length.
Furthermore, these milling cutters are formed from a body on which the blades are fixed in an endless screw position, that is to say, for a cutting and rectification along a top circle concentric with the body and the blades are removed, turned and re-aligned in very precise manner in order to obtain a spur position either on the same body or on another body. It is appreciated that these delicate operations considerably increase the price of the milling cutters.
Additionally, the transverse attachment of the blades must be effected by means complementary to that by which the blades were affixed to the body namely, by threading or hoops. For this purpose, it is necessary to secure on each end of the body, flanges, clamps, screws and other members which considerably increase the size of the cutter and provide an active length which is much less than the overall lengths.